Rogers Media uses cookies for personalization, to customize its online advertisements, and for other purposes. Learn more or change your cookie preferences. Rogers Media supports the Digital Advertising Alliance principles. By continuing to use our service, you agree to our use of cookies.

We use cookies (why?) You can change cookie preferences. Continued site use signifies consent.

Harper draws parallels between Taliban and Islamic State

WHITEHORSE – Stephen Harper is drawing parallels between the Islamist militants who have seized a swath of territory across Iraq and Syria and the Taliban insurgents who controlled much of Afghanistan before the U.S.-led invasion.

The prime minister said Thursday he’s been appalled by the recent violence, notably the beheading of American journalist James Foley by the al-Qaida splinter group known as the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

“This is not unlike the situation that we had in Afghanistan prior to 2002,” Harper said during a stop in Whitehorse, Yukon, on the first full day of his annual northern tour.

“Essentially you had a terrorist group establishing control of a large territory, essentially establishing a form of governance, and potentially using that to become a haven and a training ground for terrorism not just in the region, but across the world.

“And that, obviously, is a very big concern for all of us.”

Harper said he agrees with U.S. President Barack Obama and others that the actions of ISIS cannot go unchecked.

“The violence — really, just unspeakable barbarism — that is occurring now across a vast territory, the desire to essentially commit genocide against any group of people in the region who are different, these are shocking developments.”

Two of Canada’s military cargo planes will be shuttling weapons to Kurdish forces in northern Iraq as part of a multinational effort to fight the militants.

Earlier in the day, Harper revealed plans for a multimillion-dollar Arctic-focused National Research Council program to explore resource development, transportation and shipping, marine safety technologies and community infrastructure.

The federal government is spending $17 million on the program over eight years, and will be seeking another $65 million in co-investments from industry over that same time period.

Harper, who made the announcement after a tour of Yukon College, said the program will help bridge the gap between laboratory research and the marketplace.

Later, Harper gave a campaign-style speech at a barbecue for supporters. On Friday, the prime minister heads to Fort Smith, N.W.T., where he is expected to make an agricultural announcement and later attend another event with supporters.

Harper draws parallels between Taliban and Islamic State

Neither the Taliban nor the Islamic Emirate arose from nothing. The Taliban overthrew the Socialist government of Afghanistan (itself a target for western-sponsored ‘regime change’) after an incident involving corrupt police and a 15 year (US/islam inspired) civil war. The Taliban then continued to fight the Northern Alliance ‘insurgency’ sponsored by the USA.

At the same time, and growing out of Afghanistan’s experience a wide-spread revival of Islamic militancy was spreading in Africa, the middle and far easts, as a response to increased American and western ‘interest’, and military deployments, in those regions. Al Qaeda was the point organization in this – supporting Islamic resistance in Chechnya against the Russians, in Bosnia against the Serbs, in Somalia against the US and AU forces supporting the western-appointed government as well as the Afghan war against Russia. AQ was repeatedly attacked, in an effort to assassinate Bin Laden, after attacks on American embassies and installations in Africa and the middle east. This included cruise missile attacks on Sudan and Afghanistan by the Clinton administration.

In all these instances there have been attacks on Moslem people by Western forces and interests – in places where these people live. The world bears witness to the result of America being attacked once, where innocent lives were taken. Does the fact that the attackers are uniformed and directed by ‘democratically elected’ governments, at lands far from home, make all the difference between good and evil? I don’t think so.

Mr Harper has committed Canada to an extreme course in world events and this out of a ‘personal perspective’. For he has yet to submit his world view to the Canadian public as an election issue. Having already garnered a company of the valiant dead in the cause of ‘freedom’, neither he, nor we, wish to think their sacrifice was wasted, or to no good purpose. And so the piper’s tune of ‘defense’ against increasing ‘threats’ continues … and gets more shrill.

Notice: Your email may not yet have been verified. Please check your email, click the link to verify your address, and then submit your comment. If you can't find this email, access your profile editor to re-send the confirmation email. You must have a verified email to submit a comment. Once you have done so, check again.

Almost Done!

Please confirm the information below before signing up.

{* #socialRegistrationForm *}
{* socialRegistration_firstName *}
{* socialRegistration_lastName *}
{* socialRegistration_emailAddress *}
{* socialRegistration_displayName *}
By clicking "Create Account", I confirm that I have read and understood each of the website terms of service and privacy policy and that I agree to be bound by them.